A Florentine Death (Michele Ferrara) [Paperback]

Michele Giuttari (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2011 | Series: Michele Ferrara

Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara knows that the beautiful surface of his adopted city, Florence, hides dark undercurrents. When called in to investigate a series of brutal and apparently random murders, his intuition is confirmed. Distrusted by his superiors and pilloried by the media, Ferrara finds time running out as the questions pile up. Is there a connection between the murders and the threatening letters he has received? Are his old enemies, the Calabrian Mafia, involved? And what part is played by a beautiful young woman facing a heart-rending decision, a priest troubled by a secret from his past, and an American journalist fascinated by the darker side of life? Ferrara confronts the murky underbelly of Florence in an investigation that will put not only his career but also his life on the line.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The writing is closer to the pared-down style of such Americans as Ed McBain than to that of Giuseppe di Lampedusa. . . . the plotting is full of quiet confidence. The air of authenticity . . .  is persuasive throughout the novel."  —Independent

"A tightly crafted novel, oozing Italian culture, it grabs the reader from the very beginning. . . . an excellent debut novel."  —Reviewing the Evidence

"Fans of Donna Leon will especially love Guittari's style and sense of place—and may even find that Guittari is more attentive to Florentine scenery than Leon is to the Venetian landscape."—Booklist

About the Author

Michele Giuttari is former head of the Florence Police Force (1995-2003), where he was responsible for re-opening the Monster of Florence case and jailing several key Mafia figures.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (September 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349120064
• ISBN-13: 978-0349120065
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Florentine death a bit weak, January 11, 2010

By 

BrookT "BrookT" (Central Mid-West) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Florentine Death (Michele Ferrara) (Paperback)

I picked up this book after reading his second in the series, Death in Tuscany.
It is obvious that M. Ferrara learned a lot between writing the first and second book. A Florentine Death is a bit weak on plot and character development, but it is very accurate as to siting and letting the reader in on the Italian mentality of how things work. This definitely is not on the same level as Donna Leone, but still enjoyable as light reading.
I have ordered his third book from Amazon UK (as they don't seem to carry it in the US) and his 4th is scheduled to come out soon. I think this is an enjoyable series to read especially if you cannot afford the price of an airline ticket to go back to Italy any time soon.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT 'the leading italian crime writer', June 9, 2009

By 

dh4books - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Florentine Death (Paperback)

I only picked this one up because The Times of London is quoted on the front cover as calling this author "THE LEADING ITALIAN CRIME WRITER" -- And I assumed I would be treated to something along the lines of Andrea Camilleri, Donna Leon, Ian Pears, Dibdin, Nabb. This was such a disappointment. Weak plotting, weak characterization, weak atmosphere. The author should be able to put together a believable procedural inasmuch as he was/is a senior officer in the Italian police force, but the things that the police do in this story just don't ring true. I'm also a little skeptical about the translation; unless there are twenty species of wolves in Italy someone made a mistake. & speaking of wolves: they generally don't attack people that are firing guns at them...

I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone so I'll vaguely say that political incorrectness is rampant here, coincidences / deus ex machina occur, and there's not even good food or nice scenery.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great read from Giuttari, October 1, 2011

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SuperShopper (Bellevue) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Florentine Death (Michele Ferrara) (Paperback)

I've read three of Guittari's books, and as in the others, he has a twist in the book that you won't see coming (at least I didn't!). "The Death of a Mafia Don" was a little better than this one, but I definitely give him points for having a great imagination. This one also features a lot of police procedure, but wasn't as bogged down by it as some of his other books.